


pineapple sorbet

by Rhyet



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Awkward Crush, Fluff, Flustered Souji, Gay Panic, Love Confessions, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:02:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26457637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhyet/pseuds/Rhyet
Summary: Hanging out like they always do was all Souji ever intended. Scooter rides and ice cream after school, that's all. Falling for Yosuke was never part of the plan.Now he's stumbling like an idiot every step of the way.
Relationships: Hanamura Yosuke/Narukami Yu, Hanamura Yosuke/Persona 4 Protagonist, Hanamura Yosuke/Seta Souji
Comments: 8
Kudos: 140





	pineapple sorbet

**Author's Note:**

> A wise man I know once said: "been in the mood for flustered Souji content...Yosuke is always flustered and I love it BUT I've Had It. Souji WILL be embarrassed, inconsolable, and incapacitated from love."

“That will be two thousand three hundred yen, dear.”

“Okay, my wallet should be here somewhere…”

Feet dangle from the side of Yosuke’s scooter as Souji peers into the shop from the comfort of his seat, a plastic bag of sushi, soda and sweets perched atop his lap. He bites a chunk off of his popsicle when it starts dripping onto the asphalt, that familiar orange tang flooding his taste buds.

The two had just finished studying at the library when they decided to hang out together, like they always do. By the time they’d left Yasogami High it was an hour or two away till the summer sun began to set, telltale reds and yellows painting Inaba’s sky in its entirety. Luckily, Yosuke chose to take his scooter to school this morning. Since no one in this town bats an eye at backseat riders and as long as Dojima doesn’t find out about it, it was an easy decision for Souji to ride behind him.

He’d already gone through a third of his dessert by the time Yosuke exits the store. “Sorry that took so long, Souji. Old Lady Shiroku asked me to grab something from a shelf she couldn’t reach.”

“No, it’s alright,” he replies. “Here’s your ice cream, by the way. ”

“Thanks.”

Yosuke takes the small package from him before throwing the wrapper at a nearby trash can. The scooter shifts in place when Yosuke sits in the front. “Man, I can’t believe midterms start next week. No amount of studying could ever help me pass that math test, it’ll eat me alive!”

“Well, that’s why we help each other out,” Souji chuckles softly. “I’ll teach you the topics you don’t understand and you can help me on any of mine.”

“Easy for you to say.” Yosuke turns around to face the silver-haired teen, his own pale yellow popsicle pointed at him in jest. “Unlike the rest of us sorry losers, you’re a bonafide genius! You’ve got no problem acing this test like all the others. Oh, that reminds me, there’s also that basketball tournament next week that we gotta practice for and...”

Lost in their conversation, Souji can’t help but notice how the evening sunlight makes Yosuke’s chestnut eyes sparkle, or how it bounces off his golden tan skin, revealing to him the faintest of freckles peppered along his nose. Souji’s never noticed it before, but has his partner always looked this _attractive?_ Now that he mentions it, he’s never actually gotten a good look of his partner’s back before, either. Schoolwork, part-time gigs and fending off Shadows don’t really allow him the liberty of free time.

Yosuke’s back is to him right now and Souji examines him even further… Yep, his shoulders have _definitely_ gotten broader since they first met, their time in the TV World doing a number on him. They’re threatening to burst through his tunic, with creases decorating that chasm between the blades. He then wonders what his back would look like shirtless. How would it feel if he could run his fingers across that expanse of skin and feel every muscle and warmth that-

“-Ey, hey, hello? Yoohoo, Earth to Partner. Were you even listening to what I just said?”

Souji’s brought back to reality by a familiar hand, gently waving in and out of his vision. His eyes widen as they gaze at a pair of hazel ones, filled with puzzlement and concern- Yosuke just caught him staring!

 _Oh dear god, what am I thinking?_ He mentally scolds himself. _Why would you even think about Yosuke like that when he’s right in front of you?!_ A red-hot blush spreads across his cheeks and he fidgets away from the very subject of his daydream.

“Oh, ah, sorry Yosuke,” he blurts out, voice wobbly and a pitch higher than what his dignity allows. “I-I’m just not feeling well today. Must’ve been that food I ate last night, ahaha...”

Souji turns his head to the side and averts his eyes from his partner. But from his peripheral, he catches Yosuke raising a brow at him, still perplexed. His partner’s not buying into it.

“You sure you still wanna hang out with me today? Did you get sick?” Yosuke leans in closer. “C’mere for a sec.”

The next thing Souji knows, there’s a hand reaching around him, cupping the back of his head and he’s suddenly being pulled towards the brunette. Their foreheads touch gingerly and Yosuke looks down, lips pursed as he continues to hold his silver-haired friend close. Souji catches a whiff of the pineapple sorbet still dancing on his lips. Those soft, kissable lips of his that he can’t help but stare at and are just inches away from his and what if he just leans in right now and goes for it and how good would they feel against his and Souji confirms that he’s actually going insane, heartbeat thrashing through his ribcage like a jackhammer on concrete.

Yosuke finally pulls back as quickly as he did leaning in. He looks back up at his leader and breathes a sigh of relief. “I dunno, man. Your whole face is looking redder than a tomato though you’re not burning up. If it’s not a fever, then it’s gotta be something else. You’re not used to the heat, are you?”

“…”

Souji can only gawk, mouth agape, at how oblivious his best friend is. The same best friend who, he now realizes, in love with.

An endless stream of thoughts come rushing in. How long has he held this crush for? How come he’s never noticed it himself? Where did it all begin? After their brawl or the minute they first met? How’s Yosuke going to react? Isn’t he still uncomfortable around guys? Does that mean his partner will hate him forever if he finds out? Panic, humiliation, joy and fear send his mind into stasis as he’s trying to cling on to his last strand of reason. The summer sun may not be the culprit, but at this point his brain is fried beyond salvation.

Unbeknownst to Souji’s plight, Yosuke looks back at him and asks. “Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t we head down to Samegawa while the sun’s still up? How ‘bout it, Partner? I bet putting your feet in the water will help cool you down.”

Souji musters what mental capacity he has left to shut his mouth and look at the ground, opting to nod slowly lest his voice betray him, a gesture that surprises even Yosuke.

“...Wow. Um. Never knew you had it in you to be this cute, Souji,” he chides. However, Souji swears he can see his cheeks glow with the faintest tint of rose and he curses himself again for being the cause of this whole awkward situation. “Y’know, the girls in our school would go crazy if they ever saw you acting like this, dude,”

Yosuke gives him a knowing wink and that signature smile, and honestly Soiji doesn’t know whether to swoon or punch him in the gut. He’s insulted by the assumption that he’d settle with anyone other than his partner, and relieved that Yosuke only ever shows these honest expressions when he’s with him.

He opts to look away, hiding the rogue running through his face as he straps his helmet back on. “C-Can we _please_ not talk about this right now, Yosuke?”

The sound of Yosuke’s mirthful laughing fit causes Souji's breath to hitch. “Man, what is up with you today? I know you’ve got a habit of being random sometimes but this is off the charts!”

No, this can’t be the same guy who he found rolling in a trash can, there’s just no way! Why is it that every little thing he does makes him all the more irresistible? It should be illegal. But before Souji can entertain the idea of letting the earth swallow him whole, Yosuke calms down, tone still cheeky but considerate, and prepares to drive.

“But hey, I understand. We’ll make it to the floodplains in time if I speed up a bit. Why don’t you tell me what’s up once we’re there? I’ll make sure we’re alone so no one’ll listen in. Something’s clearly bothering you, Souji, and I’d be a bad partner if I didn’t do anything to help you through it. I’ve also got some gyoza in there that I wanna eat so don’t drop anything on the way there, kay?”

Souji feels his heart start to swell. Ah, now he can see why he loves his partner so much.

The flustered teen’s still dazed but nods regardless, swinging his leg over to the other side and securing their food between them. He contemplates indulging himself by resting his face on his partner’s back but decides against it and settles with wrapping his arms around his waist, now more self-conscious than ever. The scooter’s engine comes to life and they’re off. The moment they leave the shopping district behind, Yosuke warns Souji to hold on tight.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I'm new to the Persona fandom and it's my first time writing again in years lmao so I hope you enjoyed this little bit outta me. This idea was inspired by my friend, Sawyer's ultimatum for blushy panic gay Souji, and an absolutely gorgeous piece of fanart by peachymints on Tumblr. You can find them both here:
> 
> https://twitter.com/letsgopartner/status/1303980857489723393?s=20
> 
> https://peachymints.tumblr.com/post/146233117634/you-heading-home-partner
> 
> If you enjoyed this and would like to see more, please consider leaving a comment or kudos, it really helps me out knowing whether or not people like my work!


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